Switched On: Revamps in Motion
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology.
Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile Phone Tags: bbos6, BlackBerry, blackberryos6, iphone, open, phone, reputation, result, ross, switched on, webos, windows-mobile
Nokia C2 render spins QWERTY right round
Render plus logo does not a new phone make, but that didn't keep us from admiring the ridiculous form factor on this supposed Nokia C2. While the 'C' label puts the device squarely in dumbphone territory and the only specs available (320 x 240 display, 2 megapixel camera) don't belabor that point, split-horizontal keyboards have a special place in our heart, and we eagerly await their return.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: dumbphones, leak, leaked, motosplit, puts-the-device, rumors, split-horizontalkeyboard, the-ridiculous
HTC ‘PC70110′ slider tested by FCC with love of AT&T’s 3G, probably Android
Why hello there, Mr. Blue Hue QWERTY slider from HTC
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone Tags: atandt, circuitry, entry, htc pc 70110, htc70110, htcpc70110, search-keys, testing-unit
Nokia says leaked N8 has early software, shouldn’t be reviewed
It looks like Nokia isn't too happy that its big N8 / Symbian^3 reveal this morning was tarnished by Eldar Murtazin's harsh preview of the device and OS a few days ago: in a new Conversations blog post, the company says that Eldar's "salacious headlines" masked the fact that he was looking at a "very early, pre-production prototype with dated software that is not yet ready," and that it only ships products that are "refined, tested, re-tested, evaluated, [and] tested again." Now, Eldar says the devices he examined had the very latest hardware and software, so it's a bit of a he-said-she-said at this point, but there's no denying that Nokia's definitely shipped some not-quite-ready-for-prime-time devices lately -- the N900 and Maemo 5 shipped in pretty roughed-out form , and the company itself has said the N97 was a "tremendous disappointment." How that recent history reflects on Symbian^3 and the N8 remains to be seen, but it's clear that Nokia's feeling pretty defensive about things; Eldar's been scooping Espoo's gear for years now and the company's never made a peep about it. Either that, or someone at Nokia is just trying to cash in on all this iPhone 4 drama by saying things like "we want our prototype back" and "we are not the Secret Police, and we want to maintain our culture of openness," but come on -- that would be a pretty crass publicity stunt, right? We want to believe.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: conversations, devices, leak, nokia, prototype, publicity
Allerta’s inPulse watch for BlackBerry spied at WES, turns on this time
You might recall that we got a quick look at the inPulse back at CES , but it didn't turn on back then, so we were excited to see the Allerta dudes back in action here at WES this week with a more functional prototype.
Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile Phone, Other Tags: allerta, BlackBerry, bluetooth, compatibility, dudes, engadget, meeting, platforms, prototype, readability, target
Google’s Andy Rubin talks Android and Apple, promises Flash support in Froyo
Gather 'round, Android fans, because Google's Android boss Andy Rubin has done a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times , and we're guessing you're going to want to hear what he has to say. The biggest news to come out of it is word that Android 2.2, a.k.a. Froyo , will come complete with full support for Flash, which is far and away the most official confirmation we've had to date, and slightly contradicts earlier talk that Flash support wouldn't necessarily be built into the OS.
Categories: Android, BlackBerry, Mobile Phone Tags: apple, BlackBerry, entry, froyo, north-korea, platforms, result, subtly-working, support, times
BlackBerry Pearl 3G hitting Telus next month for $30
We've been surmising that RIM's brand-spanking-new BlackBerry Pearl 3G has a decent shot at becoming a runaway hit if carriers can offer it for peanuts, and Canada's Telus is off to a good start with the announcement that it'll hit for CAD $29.99 (about $30) on a three-year contract starting next month. It looks like these guys will only be offering the 20-key version, but there'll be a choice of two colors: black and pink, a Telus exclusive (only within Canadian borders, we'd assume). Without a CDMA version of the phone in sight, what do you want to bet they're thanking their lucky stars they've got their HSPA network up and running now?
Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile Phone Tags: 20-key-version, been-surmising, black, engadget-mobile, entry, media, news, phone, result, telus
Sanyo Juno lands on Boost Mobile, channels Sprint’s SCP-2700
If Boost Mobile's latest from Sanyo -- the so-called Juno -- looks familiar, it damn well better: it's nothing more than a rebranded SCP-2700 . We're still having a hard time getting used to the fact that Boost is back into the CDMA game yet again (in a big way) with Sprint's acquisition of Virgin Mobile, and needless to say, the Juno doesn't have a trace of iDEN compatibility coursing through its electronic veins.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: Boost, boost-mobile, entry, its-electronic, juno, lands-on-boost, scp-2700
Palm and AT&T give the Pre Plus (and WebOS) an ad we can all agree is not completely terrible
Hey, hey, look at this! A short, sweet Palm Pre Plus ad that shows off the phone's innovative UI, its ability to multitask, and its 3D gaming -- you know, all the great stuff it can do.
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: ads, att, gaming, misfortune, palm, phone, plussize, reading
Portuguese carrier TMN pairs Samsung Blue Earth with world’s first paper SIM card
Tiny SIM cards seems like the last thing worth worrying about in our bid to save the environment one tree at a time -- but let's not forget that you end up throwing away about 80 percent of the card as soon as you pop the actual chip out and stick it in your phone. Portuguese carrier TMN has rolled out what it claims to be the world's first recycled paper SIMs in combination with the release of the Samsung solar-charging Blue Earth handset, delivering a powerful one-two combo of feel-good environmental responsibility that should boost your karma for a solid day or two (if not more).
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: devices, karma, other-devices, portugal, recycled-paper, release, tmn